15 Simple Ways to Improve Employee Engagement

A majority of US workers don’t really like their jobs. That’s according to a recent Gallup survey that revealed 70% of American professionals aren’t engaged at work. That number should concern any business owner because engaged employees are more likely to stick around.

Now ask yourself: are your own employees engaged? How do you know they are?

No matter how your employee engagement efforts are faring, chances are you can do more. Here are 15 ways you can improve engagement at your company — and grow your bottom line as a result:

1. Mind your manners

Your employees won’t exactly be inspired to do their best work if their managers never compliment them on a job well done. A little recognition goes a long way — all it takes is a thank-you now and then. Make employee recognition a top priority, and engagement will improve.

2. Hold regular coffee meetings

One of my favorite activities on the TINYpulse marketing team is our weekly coffee meetings. As a team, we go to a nearby coffee shop on Monday mornings and just hang out for a good 30 minutes or so. The conversation can revolve around work or what we did over the weekend, but the point is to gently ease ourselves into the workweek.

3. Brown bag lunches

Employees want to learn and develop, but sometimes an organization just doesn’t have the budget to send their people to conferences or pay for school tuition. If that's the case, you can leverage your network or your own employees to hold brown bag lunches where they present a topic of their choice. It’s a great way for people to learn about new topics without having to dish out the bucks.

4. Establish an open-door policy

Workers aren’t motivated by managers who ignore them. Make yourself accessible to your team. Whether it's email, text, or instant message, respond to their questions or check up on how they're doing. It’ll help establish a stronger relationship between the two.

5. Ask your employees for their ideas

When your employees see that you’re actively seeking out their advice and putting their best ideas into practice, they’ll be more engaged. This will lead to even more fantastic ideas.

6. Let workers wear multiple hats

SOURCE: giphy.com

Doing the same thing over and over again can get monotonous for anyone. Let your workers tackle a diverse set of tasks, and they’ll be more engaged.

7. Embrace flexible schedules

Do your workers really need to be in the office during a specific set of hours? Your employees will be more engaged when you allow them to make their own flexible schedules, so long as they get all their work done.

8. Help your employees find meaning in their work

Do everything you can to help your employees see how their efforts are making the world a better place. Make them understand that their work is more than just a job.

9. Let employees take ownership over projects

Empower your employees to be project managers. It doesn’t have to be for all projects, but allowing them to take ownership will help them develop their management skills and collaborate with other teammates.

10. Ask them what they want

What projects and tasks really get them going or drag them down? Find out what your employees are excited to work on and allow them to take on more similar projects. Don’t make them loathe their day-to-day with menial tasks that drain their souls.

11. Allow employees to work from home

Remote workers are more productive than their peers who work in the office. While you might not want to let your staff work from home every day, would a couple of days a week once in a while really hurt?